Whether you’re looking for a new hobby or you feel the need to expand your skillset, nowadays you can learn just about anything online. With hundreds of online courses available on the web, there’s no doubt that you’ll find plenty of content to keep you occupied. The question is, which online learning platform should you choose?
The e-learning space is advancing so rapidly that even the smaller learning platforms are starting to catch up with giants such as Coursera and Skillshare. As much as we support rapid digital development, there’s no doubt that this kind of landscape makes it difficult for users to determine which learning platform is worth their money and time.
Today we’ll focus on one of the most popular learning platforms out there known as Udemy. If you’ve spent as much as five minutes researching online learning outlets, then you most definitely came across this platform. Udemy is a well-known source of educational content with millions of users from around the globe.
It offers thousands of courses on different topics across multiple industries. Having been founded back in 2010, Udemy has been on the web for quite a while. It is seen as one of the most reliable learning platforms out there. The question is whether that’s true or not? Is Udemy legit? What do Udemy ratings look like?
That’s where we come in to answer your questions and point out the pros and cons of using this popular platform, as well as give you a few tips on what you should be looking for when browsing for online courses in this Udemy review.
Table of Contents
What is Udemy?
Udemy is an online learning platform designed for everyone and anyone who wants to pick up new skills and expand their knowledge of different subjects. This teaching marketplace works both ways, which means you can use it to learn and educate others by creating your own courses.
The platform offers a very broad selection of courses. We’re talking about over 183 000 online courses based on video content. On top of that, users are publishing new course content every month, meaning the already extensive library is constantly growing.
With that said, there is no doubt that Udemy is one of the most popular e-learning giants on the market. Whether you’re into creative development or something more complex such as IT and marketing, you’ll most likely find hundreds of courses on your topic of choice just by doing a simple keyword search on Udemy.
It’s also important to address that Udemy offers very affordable courses starting at only $13.99 per course. Don’t be fooled by the low pricing – Udemy actually offers high-quality educational content. However, you’ll have to do some research to find those higher-end courses, since many teachers on Udemy are not overly qualified in their fields.
How Does it Work?
If you’re wondering whether Udemy is a good place to learn, don’t worry, we will get to that in a second. For now, we’ll look into how the platform works and what you need to do in order to start learning online.
For starters, all courses on Udemy are owned by creators and instructors. Udemy doesn’t have its own courses – the content on the platform is created by users who sign up as instructors. Anyone can become a teacher on Udemy, which has its pro and cons.
This is a great thing because it allows people to share knowledge and earn money while doing so. On the downside, not all courses on Udemy are going to be of top quality as they might not be created by accredited professionals in the field. However, as long as you do your research before spending money on a course, you will be good to go.
Speaking of spending money on a course, this is how the platform works. The first thing you should do to get started is to hop onto Udemy and create your account. You will be then taken through a very simple procedure to fill out your information, verify your email, and provide insight into what topics you’re interested in.
The platform’s algorithm will use your answers to provide recommendations based on the topics you choose. If you don’t already have a specific course in mind, you can browse through hundreds of courses following Udemy’s simple navigation system. Once you find the course you like, you can simply open the course page to read more info and purchase the course if you choose to do so.
You will then be taken to a secure checkout page to fill out your credit card or PayPal information and complete the purchase. Once that’s done, you’ll gain full access to the course, and you’ll be able to get started whenever you wish to. Udemy’s courses are completely on-demand, meaning there are no deadlines or set times you need to take classes.
You can go through the content however you like, whether it’s all in one sitting or perhaps multiple times a day for several weeks. If you’re not happy with the course you purchased, there’s always an option to get a refund, as long as it hasn’t been longer than 30 days since the purchase.
Udemy Features
Wide Selection of Courses
Perhaps the best feature of Udemy is its wide selection of courses and different topics you can choose from. Whatever you’re looking to learn, you will most likely find it on Udemy (possibly in multiple languages as well).
The Udemy Community
Udemy has a great community where students can interact and get their questions answered. The community tab is nicely organized and allows people to communicate easily. They can up-vote answers to give them more visibility and make it easier for other students to find the answers they’re looking for.
Video-Based Courses
Udemy offers video-based courses, which means that courses comprise mostly of video content, in addition to downloadable worksheets and textual materials. There is no doubt that this type of content works best for self-paced learning and learning in general, as you get to engage with the subject on both a visual and an auditory level.
On-Demand Learning
Speaking of self-paced learning, all courses on Udemy are available on-demand, meaning there are no deadlines or strict schedules you need to adhere to. This feature makes it easy for you to incorporate learning into your daily schedule, however, it suits you.
Filters and Reviews
One of our favorite features on Udemy is the filter and reviews section. The platform has a very helpful filter system that allows you to find exactly what you’re looking for among thousands of courses and hundreds of topics. With Udemy filters, you will easily find the perfect course for you by adjusting your search based on ratings, video duration, levels, features, and more. On top of that, the review section will help you decide if a specific course is worth your time.
Refunds and Simple Payments
Perhaps one of the most important features is the payment system. There are no subscription-based payments at Udemy. Each course has its own pricing and requires a one-off payment which gives you lifetime access to the content. What’s interesting is that you’ll find massively discounted courses on the platform all the time. There is also a 30-day refund policy that allows you to get your money back if you’re not happy with the course.
Certifications
Udemy is not an accredited institution, but it does provide completion certificates for paid courses. If you are looking for formal certification, then this probably isn’t the right platform for you. However, the completion certificates can come in handy as social proof or something to boost your resume when needed.
Gifts
Another interesting feature on Udemy is the Gifts option. You can gift each course to someone who might like it by clicking on the ‘Gift this course’ option available on the dashboard. Udemy will send the course to the recipient’s email as a gift on a specific date you choose. You can even leave an optional personalized message if you prefer.
Instructor Profiles
Udemy allows you to learn more about each instructor through the instructor bio that’s included in each course. You’ll learn more about their prior experience, feedback, and even evaluations from other students. This information can help you determine whether the instructor and the course in question are a good fit for your learning needs.
Regular Updates
Although updates are not necessarily a feature, it’s good to know that Udemy’s courses get updated regularly. If you take a look at the header of the course, you will find the date of when it was last updated. This will give you a better idea of how relevant the course content is in the present time.
Previewing the Courses
Another thing that will come in handy is the course preview, is the feature that allows you to take a sneak peek of the course content before making a purchase. This is a great way to see what you can expect from your purchase and check the quality before spending any money.
Udemy Mobile App
Last but not least, Udemy has a great mobile app that you can use to access courses on the go. Although their website is very well structured, you might prefer the app because it allows you to take the courses with you wherever you go. The app is available for both Android and iOS users and it allows you to download entire courses for offline viewing.
What Type of Courses are Offered on Udemy?
The wide range of topics on the platform includes design, development, marketing, IT and software, business, personal development, business, photography, and many more. With over 183,000 courses, Udemy offers content in very specific categories.
For example, the development includes sub-categories such as Python, web development, machine learning, etc. The IT and software category includes topics such as AWS Certification, ethical hacking, cyber security, and more.
If you’re more on the creative side, you’ll find design topics that branch into photoshop, graphic design, drawing, photography, and more. Whether you want to learn how to develop an iOS app or start playing the guitar, you will find more than a dozen courses for it on Udemy.
What’s fun about Udemy is that you don’t need to have a specific topic in mind to get started. Just head over to the ‘featured topics’ section on the platform and you will find the most popular and best-selling courses on various topics.
This section will inspire you to start picking up new skills and adopting new hobbies. The current popular topics on Udemy include eSports, Google Analytics, algorithms, machine learning, public speaking, and Excel. However, keep in mind that this list changes regularly as different courses climb up the popularity ladder on the platform.
Let’s say you’re interested in natural language processing or NLP for short. Once you click on this category, Udemy will take you to its library of NLP-related courses. You can use the filter feature to sort the results by factors such as most popular, newest, and highest-rated courses.
You’ll also come across Udemy’s smart recommendations that show you what other students interested in NLP are also learning. This list currently includes topics such as deep learning, AI, neural networks, and more.
9 Key Decision-Making Factors
Here are the criteria we used to review Udemy, as well as how the platform ranked in each category.
#1 User-friendliness & learning interface – Ranking 5/5
Udemy’s user-interface is very simple and easy to navigate. The moment you land on the platform, you’ll be met with a variety of course recommendations and expandable categories. It doesn’t take long to get used to the way Udemy is set up. Even the course pages are really self-explanatory – you will hardly have any problems navigating this user-friendly website.
#2 Convenience – Ranking 5/5
As it is advertised, Udemy offers courses on demand which is very convenient for anyone who wants to learn new skills or expand existing ones. Thanks to the platform’s simple user interface and a vast library of educational content, we can safely call it a very convenient learning resource.
#3 Quality of content – Ranking 3.5/5
As we’ve already mentioned on multiple occasions, all courses on Udemy are owned by respective course creators. Whoever applies to become a teacher on Udemy can create and sell their own courses on whatever topic they choose. That means not all courses are created by professionals in their respective fields.
Still, Udemy does a great job at checking the quality of its content and making sure that no courses on the platform are below their quality standards. When it comes to the results and outcomes of the courses, those will greatly depend on how engaged and involved you are in learning. The more time and effort you put into the learning process, the greater the outcome.
#4 Available platforms – Ranking 4/5
What’s great about Udemy is that it has its own mobile app that allows you to take your courses on the go. The Udemy mobile app is available for both iOS and Android devices, although it’s not supported on Chromebooks or Chrome OS devices. For the best learning experience on a mobile device, make sure to use the official application instead of taking the course via mobile browsers.
For those who prefer learning through the desktop interface, Udemy has a very simple and easy-to-use platform that will help you get through your courses with as little friction as possible. Udemy’s browser platform is available on every internet-enabled device.
#5 Official certifications – Ranking 4.5/5
The next criterion we looked at is the available certifications. It is very important to address that Udemy is not an accredited institution. However, it still meets our certifications criteria because they offer skills-based courses taught by experts in various fields.
Every paid course comes with a certificate of completion, meaning you will receive a document at the end of the course to prove that you’ve gone through all the materials. Although this is not an accredited certificate, a Udemy certificate can serve as social proof on resumes and networks such as LinkedIn.
#6 Types of courses – Ranking 5/5
We also looked at the types of courses available on the platform to determine whether it is worth your time. As a great e-learning resource, Udemy offers a variety of video-based courses that consist of video content and following materials (textual and visual materials, as well as exercises).
As far as the topics go, Udemy is not lacking in subject diversity. It offers dozens of categories and hundreds of subcategories that allow you to gain in-depth knowledge on various topics. Just hop on the platform to see the variety of courses they have to offer.
#7 Instructors – Ranking 4.5/5
Naturally, the quality of course content on a platform is going to depend greatly on the instructors who provide the content. Being a globally available platform, Udemy attracts instructors from all over the world.
They do frequent quality checks to ensure the content these instructors provide is up to the highest quality standards. You can scroll through Udemy’s top instructors on the platform and see who has built up a good reputation in this e-learning community. You may even find interesting course topics this way as well.
#8 Payment methods – Ranking 5/5
Another important criterion we look at are payment methods and refunds. With Udemy, you shouldn’t run into any payment-related issues as the platform takes this step of the procedure very seriously.
They offer multiple payment methods including credit and debit cards, PayPal, Bank Payments, as well as Apple Pay Store and Google Pay. When it comes to refunds, Udemy is kind enough to give you a full refund of any course you purchased within 30 days.
#9 Customer support – Ranking 4/5
Last but not least, we looked at the quality of their customer support. Udemy offers decent customer support that can be reached via email support@udemy.com. Unfortunately, they do not have live chat or phone support, which could be useful in case you have an issue that needs immediate clearance.
However, there is a very detailed FAQs page available on the platform which might hold the answer you’re looking for. Check out the FAQ page and search for answers before you contact the support email.
Pros & Cons
Pros:
- There are plenty of affordable courses on Udemy, including nearly 600 free ones.
- There’s a 30-day refund policy for each purchase.
- By purchasing a course you will receive lifetime access to its content.
- Udemy offers a wide selection of courses (over 183 000+).
- Simple and easy to use (great interface).
- There are certificates available for paid courses.
- Built-in payment processing available.
Cons:
- Certification is available for paid courses only.
- Udemy certificates are not in any way accredited.
- Not all course creators are trustworthy (you have to do your research before purchasing a course)
- The course quality control is not very strong.
- No feedback or communication with course creators.
- Somewhat confusing pricing model.
Who is Udemy For?
The question you’re probably asking yourself is whether Udemy is the right choice for you? Upon taking a better look at everything the platform has to offer, we concluded that Udemy is the kind of e-learning platform that has something to offer to everybody. Well, everybody except those who are looking for accredited certifications from world-renowned institutions and academies.
As we said, Udemy is not in any way accredited and their certifications might not carry a lot of weight. So, if you’re looking for an official diploma then you should probably look elsewhere. Now that we know whom Udemy is not for, here’s what they can offer to you.
Their courses are very affordable compared to other e-learning platforms out there, especially since they often have large discounts available. Moreover, the platform offers a diversity of courses unlike any other. If you’re looking for a new hobby you will definitely find it on Udemy.
However, the lack of accredited certification doesn’t mean you won’t get any value from these courses. Udemy’s content is packed with valuable knowledge and insights that can help you improve and grow in both your personal and professional life.
Udemy is a great place for those looking to adopt new or improve existing skills, as well as change careers or grow professionally in any direction. Whether you’re looking for business and finance courses or something more creative like lifestyle or painting, Udemy has it all.
How Much Does Udemy Cost?
Unlike platforms that require you to pay for a yearly subscription, Udemy has a somewhat simpler payment system. Namely, each course is priced on its own and can be purchased separately from the rest of the content on the platform. When it comes to price points, the range goes from as little as $11.99 all the way to $199.99 per course.
Naturally, the price will depend on the length of the course, the topic, and the creator behind it. However, don’t be fooled by the numbers. It doesn’t mean that the more affordable courses are any lesser in quality. In fact, you might come across very high quality courses on Udemy for under $50.
Each course requires a one-time payment that gives you lifetime access to video content and additional materials. Not only does that mean that you can take the course at your own pace but you can also come back to it in a few months or years to refresh your knowledge.
What’s interesting about Udemy is that it offers huge discounts very often. At times, you will find that the most expensive $194.99 courses are discounted all the way down to around $13.99. It might seem too good to be true but that’s just how things are at Udemy.
You will find great courses at year-round promotions with discounts of up to 90% of their original price. Crazy, right? Don’t miss out on such great pricing opportunities and make sure to grab your favorite courses while discounted. Don’t forget that you’ll get lifetime access as well!
However, don’t confuse these frequent discounts with low quality. Udemy courses are actually very valuable and packed with knowledge – although it might not seem that way when they discount them from $190 to under $15. Make sure to give the platform a shot before making any judgements and don’t hesitate to take advantage of their course preview feature to see what your money can get you on this platform.
Similar Platforms to Consider
We firmly believe that you should have a proper insight into different options on the market before settling down for one. With that said, we will briefly present you with similar platforms to Udemy that you should take into consideration before making the final decision.
We’ll start with Coursera, one of the most popular e-learning platforms out there. Coursera offers thousands of courses on various topics ranging from software development and business all the way to lifestyle and creativity.
This platform offers a mix of free and paid courses, meaning there’s value available for everyone. What’s great about Coursera is that the platform is partnered with educational institutions and companies that offer professional certificates and even accredited degrees. Hence, if you’re looking for more formal education that will result in official certification, look into Coursera’s programs.
Next up you should take a look at Masterclass which provides in-depth classes and courses held by celebrities. We’re talking about cooking lessons held by Gordon Ramsay or singing lessons by Alicia Keys. If you’re interested in learning from gurus and popular names in your industry, check out the Masterclass platform.
Another great platform you should consider is LinkedIn learning. Chances are you already have a LinkedIn account, so you’ve probably heard of their learning platform as well. LinkedIn Learning is an affordable platform that offers a wide range of content on soft business skills content. If you’re looking for professional development courses, LinkedIn Learning is a great place to stop by.
Finally, we recommend that you check out Skillshare as well before you make the final decision. Not only is Skillshare one of the most heavily marketed e-learning platforms in 2022 but it is also one of the most affordable ones. You can get their all-access premium membership for as little as $8 per month. How great is that?
However, keep in mind that Skillshare does not offer accredited degrees and certifications at the end of each course. You’ll have to look at some of the more expensive options for that. Still, this platform has plenty of great courses and content creators to offer so it’s definitely worth checking out.
Is Udemy Worth It? Final Thoughts
To sum it all up, we’ll answer the most common question – are Udemy courses worth it? The answer depends on what you’re looking to achieve with your online learning efforts. If you’re looking for a platform to find a new hobby and learn its ins and outs, then Udemy is the perfect choice.
Even if your goal is to expand your skills for the sake of professional development and collect a few course certificates, Udemy will match your needs perfectly. However, if you are in search of academic courses and accredited certifications, then you might want to look at Coursera and other higher-end learning platforms.
Although it’s not accredited in any way, Udemy offers lots of value for a great price. If you’re in the market for a diverse range of courses in multiple languages and learning flexibility with no deadlines, then Udemy is definitely a good choice.
Don’t forget that the outcome of any course depends on several factors including your dedication to learning and the expertise/teaching techniques of the instructors behind each course. Hence, if you’re not happy with a specific course, it might not be because of the platform but rather the instructor. Make sure to give Udemy a chance and judge it for yourself!